MY STORY of SCOLIOSIS in 1958

Part 2 Diagnosis

My scoliosis was suspected at the end of my 7th grade school year on a routine Doctor visit. My Mother had been saying to me ”Martha Kay, stand up straight”. I thought I was standing up straight, but had noticed that my hip was raised on one side of my body, but just thought it was part of puberty and I was developing a waist. (I was just 13 and scoliosis screening was not yet done).

After a summer of daily sessions of PT and the curve continued to progress, I was sent to Grand Rapids from my home town of Kalamazoo, MI. for evaluation. It was determined that I had a 40-degree thoracic and a 60-degree lumbar “S” curve. My Orhtopedist, Dr. Charles Frantz, (see 1962) was considered the best in MI for treating scoliosis.

Milwaukee Brace

That August I was admitted toMary Free Bed Convalescent Home and placed in a Milwaukee Brace. (At left). The brace was routinely moved up under my chin as they began stretching the spine to straighten it as much as possible, prior to my first scheduled surgery on Sept. 24, 1958. It had been a shock to me that I was now bedridden, which I had not been told prior to my appointment in Grand Rapids. I began to become a talker, mostly to keep myself occupied and to entertain others in various medical conditions at Mary Free Bed. (Definitely not a free bed). When any of the staff would see that I could move my head, the chin part of the brace was moved up to stretch my spine. I thought I would be looking like a giraffe before I was done. I had relatives visit about once a week. When I reached about 5’5″, surgery was scheduled for Sept. 24, 1958 on the lumbar area from thoracic 12 to lumbar 5.

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Marty Miller:
Current Interests: Family, People, Travel, Medicine & Blogging.
Values: Integrity, Faith & Humor.
Since I started the "About Us" referring to life at age 13 when my life really changed forever, I decided to do a bit of … [Read More...]